title: Liuwei dihuang pills enhance the effect of Western medicine in treating type 2 diabetes: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To perform meta-analyses evaluating the efficacy of adding Liuwei Dihuang Pills (, LDP) to Western medicine in improving treatment outcomes for type 2 diabetes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medline, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Chinese databases, including the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure were searched to identify eligible studies; i.e., if the study involved a randomized clinical trial in which the experimental group combined LDP with Western drugs and the control group used the corresponding Western drugs alone to treat type 2 diabetes. Outcomes were measured in terms of fasting blood glucose (FBG), postprandial blood glucose (2hPG) and HbA1c level. Efficacy was also measured by using control and response rates. The combined odds ratio (OR), mean difference (MD), and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Studies included in the analysis were less adequate than expected in terms of methodological quality. A total of 1,609 patients from 18 studies were included. We found that adding LDP can lower patients' FBG (MD=0.54 mmol/L, 95% CI [0.15, 0.93], P=0.007), 2hPG (MD=1.05 mmol/L, 95% CI [0.29, 1.81], P<0.01) and HbA1c (MD=0.23, 95% CI [0.02, 0.45], P=0.008). There were also improvements in treatment response rates (OR=3.41, 95% CI [2.38, 4.90], P<0.01) and control rates (OR=2.47, 95% CI [1.91, 3.20], P<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adding LDP to Western medicine might improve treatment outcomes of diabetes, including FBG, 2hPG, response rates and control rates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, 100191, China.
authors.forename: Run
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pu
authors.forename: Xiang-nan
authors.initials: XN
authors.lastname: Geng
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Hui-gang
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Lu-wen
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Shi
mesh_terms: D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005215:Fasting / Q000097:blood; D005907:Gliclazide / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008687:Metformin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017594:Publication Bias; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D019366:Western World
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D005907:Gliclazide; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D008687:Metformin; C042579:Liuwei Dihuang Decoction